Baby survives horror crash after car seat position changed

A mum has told how her five-month-old baby daughter cheated death in a devastating car crash all because of a chance change of position of her car seat.

Mum-of-two Lisa-Marie Stoneley was described as being left with 'too many broken bones to count' after the head-on collision in Somerset last October.

She broke both her legs, fractured her spine and several ribs, cracked an elbow, shattered her pelvis and ripped cartilage in both knees and ended up in a coma for eight days. But miraculously, baby Faith escaped totally unharmed.

Now, in a wheelchair, Lisa-Marie says she just wants to focus on the positives from the accident: the fact her family all survived.

The smash happened after the family were travelling home from a day out at a carnival. Lisa-Marie says that the position of baby Faith's car-seat undoubtedly saved her life when their Vauxhall Corsa collided head-on with a Vauxhall Astra .

Faith's seat was usually secured in the drivers' side rear of the car, but on the day in question, she had instead put her on the passenger side.

"I will never understand why we did it but as a result she missed the whole impact," Lisa-Marie told the Daily Mail.

"I really think someone was watching over my family that day, it is a miracle we are all still here. Faith left the accident without a single scratch and she has been wonderful ever since. Nothing has phased her."

After being trapped in the car for three hours, Lisa-Marie was cut free by firefighters and taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Devon.

Her partner Louis Wood, 36, and son Ryan Roe, 15, were also injured in the crash, both breaking their knuckles, while Ryan's friend Jamie Steer, 16, severed a major artery and spent weeks in intensive care.

Lisa-Marie's extensive spell in hospital meant she did not see her baby daughter for five and a half weeks after the accident.

"I was feeding her myself so had only been away from her for about an hour - so to go from that was really hard," she said.

Lisa-Marie's injuries required extensive surgery, including the fitting of screws to her pelvis, and metal bars in both her broken legs.

She is now awaiting further operations, buts hopes eventually she will be able to walk again, admitting that at the moment it is 'baby steps' towards full recovery.

"I would rather focus on the positive and get on with my life instead of thinking 'what if'. We can't change anything, it's already happened," she said.